Astrid looked at the photos on the wall with morbid curiosity. They were of Hiccup but he looked significantly different, a far cry from his current self.

"Is this what you look like with hair?" she whispered as he walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind.

Hiccup snorted. "What makes you think I don't have hair?"

Astrid rolled her eyes and pulled the hoodie off his head, eyeing the auburn buzz with a raised eyebrow. "A redhead, huh?"

"No," Hiccup scoffed. "It's called chestnut brown."

Astrid laughed touching the spikes with the tip of her finger. Hiccup grabbed her arm then and pulled her along with him into another room. His bedroom to be exact.

The first thought that crossed her mind was how simple and lifeless it appeared. The only thing that stood out was the expensive laptop sitting on his desk and some black headphones.

"It's very, um.. neat and tidy." He looked at her face for a moment before bursting into laughter. Astrid knitted her eyebrows but soon followed along.

They somehow ended up on his bed where he took one of her hands in his and began playing with the silver bracelet she was wearing.

"So this is where all the magic happens?" she teased with a twinkle in her eye, tapping the space between them.

Hiccup chuckled, shaking his head.

"What, girls aren't throwing themselves at you all the time?" she asked cheekily. "Maybe you should reconsider having Toothless as your wingman."

He playfully flung her hand away. "How many guys have you been with?"

Astrid sighed, shifting awkwardly.

"None?"

He seemed genuinely surprised. "Really? I mean, aside from being a snarky and cold bitch sometimes, you are pretty damn hot."

Astrid felt her cheeks heat up but refrained from giving his comment a direct reaction. He was already wearing a smug self-satisfied smile on his face, she didn't need to add to that.

Suddenly, there was a sound of keys jingling and the front-door being unlocked from the outside.

Hiccup's eyes widened in panic. He had not expected his parents home this early.

-,-

Val searched around the house as she called for her son.

She didn't have to wait long until he emerged from his bedroom followed by a very pretty girl on his trail.

Val froze in shock at the unexpected third party, staring at her son with confusion.

"I didn't know you had someone over," she spoke carefully, her gaze flickering back and forth between Hiccup and the blonde girl.

As far as Val knew, Hiccup didn't have any friends, let alone friends of the opposite sex. There had to be some other explanation for this. Unless her son was leading some kind of double life on the side. Val scorned at herself for that ridiculous thought.

Hiccup cleared his throat and then grasped the blonde's hand, bringing her to his side. Val stared at their entwined hands with wide eyes. "Mom, this is Astrid, she is.. my.. uh.."

"I'm his girlfriend," Astrid interjected, giving his hand a squeeze and smiling brightly at Val.

Val put a hand to her forehead, having a hard time comprehending what she was hearing.

"How.. how did you two meet?" she asked with a weak smile.

"I-" Hiccup was about to speak up when Astrid suddenly interrupted him. "Outside the library. He was blowing smoke in my face. It was very rude," she scoffed playfully. "And then we just kept bumping into one another after that."

Val felt faint all the sudden.

"Is that right?" she said to her son who looked away, not meeting his mother's accusing gaze.